New GWC Scholarship Explores Renewables on Public Lands
The Getches-Wilkinson Center is pleased to announce the publication of a thought-provoking article,听鈥淔acilitating a Green Future? Permitting Reforms and Renewables on Public Lands,鈥听co-authored by Chris Winter, Executive Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center, and Obie Johnson, a Colorado Law student and Wyss Scholar.
The piece was featured as the lead article in the spring 2025 issue of the American Bar Association鈥檚听Natural Resources & Environment听journal and explores recent federal permitting reforms aimed at expanding renewable energy development on federal public lands. In recent years, the United States has accelerated its transition to a clean energy future, increasing the demand for new wind, solar, and transmission infrastructure. The article discusses many of the legal and policy initiatives spearheaded by the Biden Administration to facilitate the development of clean energy infrastructure on public lands.听
Winter and Johnson highlight the tension between the development of clean energy infrastructure and the need to protect wildlife habitat and other natural resource values. They evaluate recent permitting reforms implemented under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and highlight how these new policies attempt to balance these important objectives across federal public lands.
Since the article was written, a new Administration that is less supportive of clean energy and conservation has taken office, prompting rapid changes to the legal and policy landscape. Despite these political dynamics, the long-term market trends still favor clean energy, though the full impacts of the Administration鈥檚 new policy agenda remain uncertain.
This publication reflects the GWC鈥檚 ongoing commitment to supporting scholarship and policy work that addresses the most pressing challenges in natural resources, energy, and environmental law. We are especially proud to highlight the contributions of student co-author Obie Johnson, whose work as a Wyss Scholar exemplifies the next generation of leadership in land conservation. The at Colorado Law School is made possible by the generous support and partnership of the Wyss Foundation.
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To learn more about the GWC鈥檚 research and student programs, visit www.colorado.edu/center/gwc听or contact us directly.